Chaos erupted in Kraaifontein on Monday morning with unrest related to the ongoing South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) Western Cape minibus-taxi strike.
At the core of the strikes are the grievances the local taxi industry has against the ongoing impoundment of taxis, to which no solutions had been found yet in talks between local government and taxi leaders.
According to reports more than 200 people protested in Bloekombos between Old Paarl Maroela Roads before moving down Voortrekker Road, where police and law enforcement swiftly blocked the roads.
Other roads into Kraaifontein were blocked at Van Riebeeck and Botfontein Roads and motorists were warned to avoid the roads in and around Bloekombos and Kraaifontein CBD.
Protesters, among them children, were burning tyres, set vehicles alight and pelted law enforcement and other vehicles with stones; and those wanting to go to work were intimidated.
Several shops in the CBD had to close their doors after looting started.
“Violence erupted after 08:00 and Kraaifontein police was forced to call in reinforcements. By 14:00 there was still no peace and calm. Shops in the CBD were stormed by members of the public and plundered. Several schools were closed and panicked children picked up by parents. The Wallacedene clinic was also set alight,” WO Louis Strydom from Kraaifontein police told TygerBurger on Monday afternoon.
“It is absolute chaos, and everybody is in crisis mode. We didn’t expect this level of violence and looting. The City’s law enforcement is assisting the police and the roads will remain closed,” she said.
Shops looted
On Monday, shops at Cape Gate Shopping Centre closed at 17:00 to allow employees to get home.
“We are aware of the violent protests to the South of Kraaifontein but are in no imminent danger at present. As a precaution we allowed shops to close earlier for everyone to get home safely,” Zoë Ganz told TygerBurger.
The City’s Subcouncil 2 cancelled a public meeting that was to take place at the Kraaifontein Civic centre on Monday evening concerning the long awaited new Blueridge education complex to be developed in Wallacedene.
All public libraries in Kraaifontein were closed on Monday as were the Brackenfell driving license testing centre.
Several unconfirmed reports indicated that Somalian shops in Wallacedene were looted and burned down on Monday night; and on Tuesday morning thousands of workers were still unable to get to their workplaces, due to ongoing intimidation.
On Tuesday morning at least one local grocer in Brackenfell had empty bread racks as delivery trucks failed to show up.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said numerous incidents of unrest were recorded and law enforcement officers attended to various incidents of public violence. A list of recorded incidents and damages is being compiled, as well as criminal cases opened and arrests made, this will be shared in due course,” Smith said.
Interdict obtained
On Monday night the City obtained an urgent interdict against taxi strike violence.
The City joined as an applicant in proceedings with Golden Arrow seeking a contempt order against Santaco for strike-related violence perpetrated on Monday.
The order states that no person, vehicle, taxi, or driver may unreasonably obstruct, interfere or block any vehicle on any public road, throughout the City Metropole, in such manner as to harm passengers, or delay or impede the flow of traffic. The interdict further prohibits any person from interfering with the operations of any transportation depot.
“We welcome the High Court granting us an interdict against Santaco taxi strike violence, including attempts to blockade routes and threaten other transport modes and commuters,” said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill Lewis.
“The City will uphold the rule of law without fear or favour as was demonstrated on Monday with the clearing and impounding of vehicles blockading major routes. This interdict further empowers our work with the South African Police Service to keep our roads open, protect buses and commuters, and arrest the perpetrators of disorder.
“We reiterate that until the violence stops, there can be no further discussions. We call on Santaco to stop the violence immediately and return peacefully to the negotiation table,” said Hill-Lewis.
While Golden Arrow Bus Services limited it’s services in certain areas in the city, a few buses was seen operating in Kraaifontein on Tuesday morning. Apart from these, there were no other public transport available.
Kraaifontein police reported a measure of calm on Tuesday morning.
“There is still tyres smouldering on Bloekombos side. We received an early warning this morning of possible protesting from Maroela Road toward Joostenbergvlakte,” says Strydom.
